Duchanee, Thawan (1939–2014)

Thawan Duchanee, awarded National Artist in 2001 by the Office of the National Culture Commission of Thailand, is one of the best-known artists in Thailand, both for people in the art scene and the general public. He first gained recognition in 1967 with the exhibition of his early series of paintings, in which he represented spiritualized power by drawing on a variety of forms of idealized Thai beliefs and images from his own imagination. His work is beautiful and complex but is easily understood by international audiences. Tawan’s most famous artworks often consist of human and animal forms, which are inspired by Buddhism, Eastern philosophy, and Thai literature. With his excellent knowledge of anatomy, Tawan has designed various beautiful figures that are full of imagination and emotion. Some are depicted with strong muscles engaged in a variety of aggressive actions, while some are created to represent feelings of calm and peacefulness. Violent expression is often mixed with graceful and complicated patterns created in the volumes of light and shadow. Most of Tawan’s enormous artworks use black and white tones with perhaps only a few colors. The movements of characters cover the entire canvas. Some his artworks are quickly and skillfully painted, mimicking the brushwork of Chinese painting, while some are elegantly created by the small lines of ballpoint pens.

Inao of King Rama II: The Transformation of the Panji Stories into a Masterpiece of Thai Court Drama Literature

This paper aims to examine how Inao of King Rama II was composed from the Panji stories and became a masterpiece of Thai court drama literature and how the story is unique as a Thai literary work. It finds that Inao of King Rama II developed from the Panji stories and contains various elaborations, embellishments and innovations, in order to serve the purposes of Lakhon Nai and Thai literature. A perfect combination of prominent features from other Panji stories and new creations in its Thai adaptation makes Inao a reference for excellence in literature and the performing arts. This paper was presented at the Seminar and Performances of a Shared Heritage: The Panji/Inao Traditions in Southeast Asia, organized by SEAMEO SPAFA on 2-6 March 2013 at the Bangkok Cha-Da Hotel and the Thailand Cultural Centre, Bangkok, Thailand.

The Representation of Consumerism and Identity Formation in Contemporary Thai Literature

As contemporary Thai society has become deeply enmeshed in consumerism and capitalism, with consumption now having been integrated as a way of life, Thai literature, especially those short stories written in the past decade, has touched upon the issue of consumerism in various degrees and aspects. This essay aims to investigate two major issues. Firstly, it aims to analyze how these short stories represent consumerism, especially its mechanisms that affect the daily lives of Thai people and their relationships. Secondly, it aims to shed light on the relationship between consumerism and identity politics as it appears in these short stories, and especially how consumerism both contradictorily liberates and constrains identity formation.